ling quiz 4 vocab
Terms
undefined, object
copy deck
- preclude
- prevent something from ever happening
- predilection
- a natural preference for something
- preeminent
- better than anyone else; outstandin; supreme
- preempt
- to seize something by prior right
- premise
- an assumption; the basis for a conclusion
- prepossess
- to preoccupy; influence beforehand; to make a good impression on beforehand
- prerogative
- a right or privilege connected exclusively with a position, person, class, nation or some other group or classification
- prodigal
- wastefully extravagant
- prodigious
- extraordinary; enormous
- prodigy
- an extremely talented child; an extraordinary accomplishment or occurence
- profane
- not having to do with religion; irreverent; blasphemous
- profligate (PRAHF luh git)
- extravagantly wasteful and usually wildly immoral
- profuse
- flowing, extravagant
- proletariat
- the industrial working class
- proliferate
- to spread or grow rapidly
- prolific
- abundantly productive; fruitful or fertile
- promulgate
- to proclaim; publicly or formally declare something
- propensity
- a natural inclination or tendency
- propitious (pruh PISH us)
- marked by favorable signs or conditions
- proponent
- an advocate
- propriety
- properness; good manners
- prosaic
- dull; unimaginative; like prose (as opposed to to poetry)
- proscribe
- to outlaw; prohibit
- protract
- to prolong
- provident
- preparing for the future; providing for the future; frugal
- provincial
- limited in outlook to one\'s own small corner of the world; narrow
- putative
- commonly accepted; supposed; reputed
- qualify
- to modify or restrict
- qualitative
- having to do with the quality or qualities of something
- querulous
- complaining; grumbling; whining
- rancor
- bitter, long-lasting ill will or resentment
- rapacious
- greedy; plundering; avaricious
- rebuke
- to criticize sharply
- rebut
- to contradict
- recalcitrant
- stubbornly defiant of authority or control; disobedient
- recant
- to publicly take back and deny; to openly confess error
- recondite (REK un dyte)
- hard to understand; over one\'s head
- recrimination
- a bitter counteraccusation, or the act of making a bitter counteraccusation
- redolent (RED uh lunt)
- fragrant
- relegate
- to banish; to send away
- remonstrate
- to argue against; to protest; to raise objections
- reparation
- paying back; making amends; compensation
- replete
- completely filled; abounding
- reprove
- to criticize mildly
- repudiate
- to reject; to renounce; to disown
- reticent
- quiet; restrained; reluctant to speak, especially about oneself
- rhetoric
- the art of formal speaking or writing; inflated discourse
- ruminate
- to contemplate
- saccharine (SAK uh rin)
- sweet; excessively or disgustingly sweet
- sacrosanct
- sacred; held to be inviolable
- sagacious
- discerning; shrewd; keen in judgement; wise
- salutary
- healthful; remedial; curative
- sanctimonious
- pretending to be devout; affecting religious feeling
- sanguine
- cheerful; optimistic; hopeful
- sardonic
- mocking; scornful
- scintillate
- to sparkle, either literally or figuratively
- scrupulous
- strict; careful; hesitant for ethical reasons
- sedition
- treason
- sentient
- able to perceive by the senses
- singular
- unique; superior; exceptional; strange
- solicitous
- eager and attentive, often to the point of hovering; anxiously caring or attentive
- solvent
- not broke or bankrupt; able to pay one\'s bills
- soporific
- sleep inducing; boring; sleepy
- sordid
- vile; filthy; squalid
- specious
- deceptively plausible or attractive
- spurious
- false; fake
- squalor
- filth; wretched, degraded, or repulsive living conditions
- staunch
- firmly committed; steadfast
- steadfast
- loyal; faithful
- stigmatize
- to brand with disgrace
- stipulate
- to require something as part of an agreement
- stoic
- indifferent to pleasure or pain, to joy or grief, to fortune or misfortune
- stratum
- a layer; level
- stricture
- a restriction; a limitation; a negative criticism
- strife
- bitter conflict; discord; a struggle or clash
- stringent
- strict; restrictive
- subjugate
- to subdue and dominate; to enslave
- sublime
- awesome; extremely exalted
- substantive
- having substance; real; essential; solid; substantial
- succint (suk SINGKT)
- brief and to the point; concise
- supercilious
- haughty; patronizing
- superficial
- on the surface only; shallow; not thorough
- superfluous
- extra; unnecessary; redundant
- surfeit
- excess; an excessive amount
- surreptitious
- sneaky; secret
- surrogate
- substitute
- sycophant (SIK uh funt)
- one who sucks up to tohers
- synthesis
- the combining of parts to form a whole
- tacit
- implied; not spoken
- taciturn
- untalkative by nature
- tangential (tan JEN shul)
- only superficially related to the matter at hand; not especially relevent
- tantamount
- equivalent to
- tautological
- redundant; circular
- temerity
- boldness; recklessness; audacity
- temperate
- mild; moderate; restrained
- tenable
- defensible; valid
- tenet
- a shared principle or belief
- tenuous
- flimsy; extremely thin
- terse
- using no unnecessary words; succint
- theology
- the study of god or religion
- tirade
- a prolonged bitter speech
- torpor
- sluggishness; inactivity; apathy
- touchstone
- a standard; a test of authenticity or quality
- tout
- to praise highly
- transgress
- to violate; to sin
- transient
- not staying for a long time; temporary
- trepidation
- fear; apprehension
- turpitude
- shameful wickedness; depravity
- unconscionable
- not controlled by conscience; unscrupulous
- unctuous
- oily, both literally and figuratively; insincere
- unremitting
- unceasing; unabated; relentless
- unwitting
- unintentional; ignorant; not aware
- urbane
- poised; sophisticated; refined
- utilitarian
- stressing usefulness or utility above all other qualities; pragmatic
- utopia
- an ideal society
- vacillate
- to be indecisive; to waver
- vapid
- without liveliness; dull; spiritless
- vehement (VEE uh munt)
- intense; forceful; violent
- venal
- capable of being bribed; willing to do anything for money; corrupt
- venerate
- to revere; to treat as something holy, especially because of great age
- veracity
- truthfulness
- verbose
- using too many words
- verisimilitude
- similarity to reality; the appearance of truth; looking like the real thing
- vestige
- a remaining bit of something; a last trace
- vex
- to annoy; pester; confuse
- viable
- capable of living; workable
- vicarious
- experienced, performed or suffered through someone else
- vicissitude
- upheaval; natural change; change in fortune
- vilify
- to say vile things about; to defame
- virtuoso
- a masterful musician
- virulent
- extremely poisonous; malignant; full of hate
- visionary
- a dreamer; someone with impractical goals or ideas about the future
- vitiate (VISH ee ayt)
- to make impure; to pollute
- vitriolic
- caustic; full of bitterness
- vociferous
- loud; noisy
- volition
- will; conscious choice
- wanton
- malicious; unjustifiable; unprovoked; egregious
- willful
- deliberate; obstinate
- wistful
- yearning; sadly longing
- zealous
- enthusiastically devoted to something; fervent